Mark 10:6 - Proof the Earth is Young? Was Jesus a Young Earth Creationist?by Rich Deem

Introduction

YEC & Divorce

Why would young earth creationists cite Jesus'
teaching about divorce in Mark 10:6 to "prove" the earth is young? Why
don't they cite the parallel verse in Matthew 19:4?

Rich Deem

Young earth creationists say that Jesus believed the earth was young and cite
Mark 10:6 as "proof." The verse, cited out of context, seems pretty
convincing, "But at the beginning of creation God made them male and female."
Since the verse is referring to human beings, it seems to suggest that there
couldn't have been millions or billions of years before human males and females
came on the scene. Is this the meaning Jesus intended to convey in His teaching?

Mark 10:6—in context

Jesus had travelled from Capernaum to Judea on the east side of the
Jordan River (see map). While preaching to the people, some Pharisees showed
up trying to trap Jesus in some of His teaching. The question they posed
was, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" They knew that God was
against divorce, although Moses did allow it under certain situations. So,
no matter what Jesus said, the Pharisees thought they could trap Him.

Some Pharisees came up to Jesus, testing Him, and
began to question Him whether it was lawful for a man to divorce a wife. And
He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?" They said,
"Moses permitted a man 'to write a certificate of divorce and send her
away.'" But Jesus said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote
you this commandment. "But from the beginning of creation, God made them
male and female. 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother,
and the two shall become one flesh;' so they are no longer two, but one
flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." (Mark
10:2-9)

So, the context shows that Mark 10:6 is part of a teaching on marriage
and divorce and not about creation. If one looks at the English translation
of Mark 10:6, it appears that Jesus erred in His description of Genesis 1.
No matter how one counts the "days," human beings were not created "at the
beginning of creation." In fact, male and female human beings were created
at the end of God's creative acts (Genesis 1:24-31). The original Greek word, ktisis,
translated "creation," has a number of other meanings.1Ktisis can also refer to created beings (e.g., creatures) or institutions
or ordinances.1 If translated in any of these
ways, Jesus was not making a theological error about the beginning of
creation. Instead, He was merely claiming that the institution of marriage
began immediately after both males and females had been created. This
reference to marriage, rather than the creation, was made clear when Jesus
immediately quoted from Genesis 2:24.2 So, the
claim that Jesus was making a theological error, while supporting young
earth creationism, is not supported by the context of Mark 10:6.

Matthew 19:4

The parallel text of Mark 10:6 is Matthew 19:4. In both instances, Jesus
was confronted by the Pharisees on the question of divorce. Here is Matthew
19:4, in context:

Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking,
"Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?" And He
answered and said, "Have you not read that He who created them from the
beginning made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man shall
leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall
become one flesh'? "So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore
God has joined together, let no man separate." (Matthew 19:3-6)

In this version of Jesus' teaching on divorce, the Greek word ktisis does not appear at all.
Instead, the verb ktizō, "to create," is found. So, the
verses are clearly referring to the beginning of marriage, which started
upon the creation of Adam and Eve. Like Mark 10:6, these verses have
nothing to do with a teaching about the age of the earth.

Conclusion

Young
earth creationists claim that Jesus taught in Mark 10:6 that human beings were
created "at the beginning of creation," meaning that there could not have been
millions of years between the creation of the earth and the creation of human
beings. However, Jesus' teaching was not about creation, but about marriage and
divorce. The "beginning" referred to in Mark 10:6 and Matthew 19:4 was the
beginning of marriage, not the beginning of the universe. The young
earth interpretation of Mark 10:6 actually makes Jesus seem to
misunderstand the order of creation by claiming that human beings were created
at the beginning of creation rather than the end of creation
(the sixth day). Since Jesus actually created the universe and all other created
things, it would seem unlikely that He would have erred on the order of
creation. The claim that Mark 10:6 supports young earth creationism is false.

Other Resources

Dr. Ross looks the creation date controversy from a biblical,
historical, and scientific perspective. Most of the book deals with what
the Bible has to say about the days of creation. Ross concludes that
biblical models of creation should be tested through the whole of
scripture and the revelations of nature.

This book, written for Christians, examines creation paradigms
on the basis of what scripture says. Many Christians assume that the young earth
"perfect paradise" paradigm is based upon what the Bible says. In reality, the
"perfect paradise" paradigm fails in its lack of biblical support and also in
its underlying assumptions that it forces upon a "Christian" worldview. Under
the "perfect paradise" paradigm, God is relegated to the position of a poor
designer, whose plans for the perfect creation are ruined by the disobedience of
Adam and Eve. God is forced to come up with "plan B," in which He vindictively
creates weeds, disease, carnivorous animals, and death to get back at humanity
for their sin. Young earth creationists inadvertently buy into the atheistic
worldview that suffering could not have been the original intent of God, stating
that the earth was created "for our pleasure." However, the Bible says
that God created carnivores, and that the death of animals and plants was part
of God's original design for the earth.